


Faux Fleur

by starryrosez



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Mutual Pining, The Kerberos Mission Never Happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-16 20:18:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16502042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryrosez/pseuds/starryrosez
Summary: When a girl tries to publicly humiliate Keith into going out with her, Lance swoops in to save the day by telling everybody they're dating. Except Lance and Keith are the school’s biggest rivals, and Keith doesn’t even know how to properly date somebody. They really didn’t think this through did they?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for a bang but it ended up conflicting with school so I had to finish it on my own time. Without further ado, please enjoy!

"Go out with me."

Keith stands there in the middle of the hallway of his dorm, wide-eyed and flustered at one of the most popular girls at the Garrison. Around them is a crowd of other boys his age, all standing around and whispering. Keith has never liked the attention, and the one he's receiving currently is  _ unsettling _ .

"What?" Keith manages to choke out. He's embarrassed, and he hates how red-faced he looks currently.

"You heard me. Go out with me," Janet, is her name. Keith doesn't really think about attractiveness or girls that much but he even had to admit Janet is absolutely  _ stunning _ . Her silky auburn hair can be seen from miles away, her milky skin glows under any lighting. When she's not in uniform, she wears the finest of clothes that gives off her hourglass figure. Janet is by far the prettiest girl at the Garrison, and she's interested in Keith. Any other guy there would be ecstatic but Keith frankly couldn't care less. He's not interested in her, in anybody to say the least. Frankly, he's kind of mad at her for embarrassing him in front of everybody.

Janet takes Keith mute response as a hesitance. She takes a confident step forward. Her hands are on her hip. Everybody says her voice is sweet and soothing but to him, it sounds snobby and screechy. "Oh, come on, at least give me one date. I mean, it's not like you're going out with anybody."

What a manipulative bitch. She had this planned from the beginning. Call Keith out in front of everybody so he's trapped. Tell him that he owes her at least one date and basically implore him to say yes because it's true: he's single. Keith sighs, resigning to his fate. There isn't any choice is there?

"Janet--"

"Actually, he is."

The hallway erupts into whispers as Janet's perfectly trimmed eyebrows lift skeptically. He feels confused. Who is defending him? Keith's eyes darts to his rescuer. At the sight of tan skin, an oversized hand-me-down jacket, brown hair, and blue eyes, Keith almost chokes in surprise. Out of everybody to step in and stop Janet, Lance is the last person to come to mind. And yet, there he is, standing beside Keith in a protective stance. He looks angry.

"Oh yeah?" Janet's voice turns venomous instantly. She probably did not take into account somebody taking Keith's side, "Who?"

Keith looks between Janet and Lance. Lance's eyes waver, indicating that he just jumped into the situation without thinking. It only lasts a second before Lance composes himself.

"Me."

Keith whips his head at Lance shockingly. He almost slips out a 'what' before stopping himself. Keith restrains himself from face-palming because  _ god _ , how much thought did Lance put into this? Doesn't he realize that the entire school knows they hate each other?

The hallway is awfully quiet, making the air thick with tension. Janet and Lance are staring each other down. Janet is looking for something, anything to indicate that it's all a lie because it couldn't possibly be. She narrows her brown eyes.

"I don't believe you," Janet seethes.

"There's no need," Lance replies as he grabs Keith's wrist. For the first time, he turns to Keith, blue eyes looking into his violet ones. "Let's go."

Keith complies, letting Lance drag him away from the hallway. Everybody watches them keenly. He hears somebody whisper, "Is it true?" He doesn't dare look back. Instead, he focuses on the back of Lance's head, studying the way his hair slightly sways to the beat of his stride.

They descend the stairs until they reach the 1st level and immediately take refuge in an empty classroom. Keith's head, still muddling over what had just happened, feels all hazy.

"Sit down," Lance says as he pulls out a chair from a desk, "You'll need it."

Keith immediately takes the seat and rests his head against the cool desk. Behind him, Lance slightly massages his shoulders. He's talking to him, but Keith can't register anything, it all enters and comes out of his brain as gibberish, only a few words stand out. All he knows is that Lance is trying to comfort him, how, he doesn't really understand, but it's  _ working _ . Keith lifts his head and looks up at Lance. Up close, he's never realized that Lance has freckles on his face. He's tempted to run his hands across his face, to feel the texture of his freckles.

They're silent for a few seconds. Ever since their first encounter, every single interaction they've ever had was bickering or fighting or cajoling each other. It's the first time they've ever been in the same room without being at each other's throats. Keith wants to thank Lance, but when he opens his mouth what comes out is, "Why did you do that?"

Lance blinks, slightly taken aback by the abrupt question. He smiles softly.

"I know Janet, and, you don't deserve to be pressured into a relationship with her."

Keith finds it unbelievable that Lance would say that. He briefly remembers Lance trying to earn her affections last month. If anything, Lance probably did it for his own benefit, but it doesn't matter at the moment.

"But why would you tell her we're dating?"

"Easy, to get her off your back. Can't date a taken man."

"Yeah but, you're forgetting something important," Keith says.

"What?"

"Seriously? The entire Garrison knows that we aren't the best of friends. Especially during simulations."

Lance's face went pale. "I-- I didn't think this through did I?"

“My hero." Keith sarcastically sighs.

"Oi," a group of guys enters the room and the tallest one immediately charges at them, "If the two of you want a place to make out privately, go somewhere else."

Keith opens his mouth to explain that they aren't even together when he suddenly remembers that they were most likely in the hallway when Janet asked him out and this entire mess happened. Keith immediately switches gears and remains silent, slowly getting out of his seat. He takes Lance's wrist, "Let's go."

Lance doesn't respond, his eyes are glued to the group as the tall guy stares him down. There's a shit-eating grin on the asshole and Keith urges Lance to move on by tugging on his wrist. " _Come_ _on_ let's go."

"So, the rumors are true," the tall guy says, "Lance Sanchez loves dick up his ass."

Lance nervously bites his lip. Keith has heard the rumors as well, but he never cared about them. Nor did he really mind the fact that Lance likes both, girls and boys. It's completely natural, and there's nothing wrong with it. It makes Keith angry that these guys are picking on Lance because of it.

"Don't you dare talk about him like that," Keith grits his teeth as he glares at the asshole.

The guy laughs scornfully, "Oh I'm not surprised you too are on the gay train Kogane--

"Yeah, I like Lance and he likes me, do you have a problem with that?" Keith snarls. He intertwines his fingers with Lance's and straightens his back ignoring the sudden rush he got from the contact, "So fuck off."

The guy steps back, putting his hands up in surrender and lets the two of them exit without further delay. Keith guides them to the stairwell and abruptly releases their hands. Lance looks at Keith in a way he's never seen before,  _ grateful _ .

"Thanks," Lance says rubbing the back of his neck, "But uh, you do realize that you basically confirmed to the entire school we're dating?"

"Ah man," Keith nudges Lance's side, "Guess you're stuck with the guy who you hate as your lover."

Lance abruptly stops giggling and looks right into Keith's eyes, "I've never hated you."

Keith feels his face flush slightly from the intense gaze those blue eyes are giving him. He immediately looks away, "I never did either."

The two pause for a few seconds, soaking in the revelation. Suddenly, Keith giggles immediately followed by Lance. The two begin to laugh, faces flushed.

"Then why have we been fighting the entire time?"

"I don't know," Lance mimics his laughter, "But I'm glad we're getting along now."

"Me too," Keith says in between his fits of laughter. He leans against the railing his face inching towards Lance. Lance bends over the railing letting his laughter echo across the stairways. He has an ugly laugh, but it's contagious. He can't help but be pulled into the bubble of joy he and Lance have created.

He's not sure how, but suddenly the two are on the base of the stairs, holding onto their hurting stomachs. The two sigh heavily, too tired to continue laughing and face each other. Keith lays a tired hand on Lance's shoulder.

"Thanks," he says after collecting his breath.

Lance smiles the white of his teeth shining, "No problem." He winks at the black-haired teen.

"You know, I just realized we're going to have to keep this up for a while," Keith sighs. Next to him Lance groans.

"Okay, do you want to go over to my room to discuss this?" Lance asks.

Keith shrugs, sitting up and slowly standing up, "Sure." He extends a hand to the brunette who gladly takes the hand. Keith ignores the electricity the contact creates as he pulls Lance up.

They walk down to Lance's room in silence, ignoring the others staring at them. It has suddenly dawned onto Keith that this only brought more unwanted attention rather than dispute it. He ignores their whispers but he can't help but feel uncomfortable. News spread like lightning at the Garrison, and Keith isn't sure how to feel about that.

They finally reach Lance's dorm room and Lance swipes his key through the slot before promptly opening it. He beckons for Keith to follow. All the dorms at the Garrison look the same: a quaint studio apartment with two beds on opposing sides of the room. There is a table for a microwave, a toaster, and disposable dishware. Next to it is a mini fridge. On the right side, there's a door that leads into a bathroom. The other side has a closet for hanging clothes. Next to each bed is a desk and a drawer.

Despite each dorm room looking the same, everybody has given their personal touches to it. Lance and his roommate Hunk, have surprisingly kept their dorm neat and tidy, completely opposite of what Keith has expected. Lance pegs him as somebody to have a room that looks like a tornado had just blown through. The dorm room is decorated with posters from animes to video games all over the walls. They have raised their beds to allow a small bookshelf under it where all their electronic devices and books are organized neatly.

"Hunk is out in the kitchen doing some service hours," Lance explains as he sits on his bed. He pats the empty spot on his bed, "C'mon I won't bite you, I'm not into marking fake boyfriends."

Keith flushes as he hoists himself onto the bed. "Mark me and I'll mark you."

"Ooh kinky," Lance winks. In response, Keith punches Lance's shoulder. "Ow!" The brunette rubs it, a look of disdain on his face. Next to him, Keith chuckles as he sticks out his tongue.

"Okay but in all seriousness, we need to discuss how to pull this off," Keith says.

"Alright, alright, mission 1: get Janet off of Keith's dick."

Keith ignores Lance as he says, "Janet needs to believe we're dating. How are we going to do that?"

Lance cocks his head, "Um, by acting like a couple?" Keith stares blankly at Lance. He sighs exasperatedly, "You know, hand-holding, going on dates, kissing, all that kind of stuff?"

Keith's face reddens at the mention of kissing, "Uh--yeah, got it."

"I think hand-holding will do the trick," Lance says, oblivious to the red-faced teen next to him, "Oh and we will also have to spend a lot of time together, but I think that will fool Janet enough." He turns to Keith, "What do you think?"

"Good enough," Keith replies, already starting to slide off the bed.

Lance grabs Keith's wrist and he abruptly turns around. Up close Keith realizes that Lance's blue eyes resemble the ocean on a sunny summer day. He finds his face flushing as they stare at each other in silence. Keith opens his mouth to ask what in the hell is Lance doing but only air comes out. Finally, Lance moves and retracts his hand, the hint of a blush beginning to blossom on his face.

"I'll walk you back to your room," Lance says as he stands up.

Keith stands up as well, "You don't have to. I can walk myself--

"No, I insist--

"No seriously I can walk myself back, it's only a few corridors away--

"But we're dating," Lance reminds him, "Aren't we?"

Keith bites his lip as he turns to the door, "Right."

The brunette opens the door and lets Keith go ahead of him. He promptly closes it behind him and catches up to Keith. There are still eyes on them. The hallway is quiet aside from a few hushed whispers and the oblivious still chatting away. Keith wants to squirm under the attention, he  _ hates _ it.

"Keith," Lance leans into his ear and whispers, "Hold my hand."

He drifts his eyes over to his false lover, "Why?"

"Just do it."

Keith eye's glance down at their hands. They're close enough that they occasionally bump into each other.  _ What the hell. _ Keith grabs Lance's hand and looks away. Their fingers intertwine. He focuses on the hallway before them, refusing to look at anybody even Lance. He thinks that Lance's hands are abnormally smooth. His own are rough and ragged from years of labor at his family's farm. It's nice. Keith strangely likes it.

He knows that there are eyes on him, but he ignores it. Lance turns to Keith and whispers in his ear.

"Pretend I just said something really funny."

Keith gives the brunette a puzzled look.

"Not that kind of funny, something hilarious."

Keith lets out a fake laugh. It sounds fake, almost terrible-actor fake, and he hates it, but Lance plays along anyways and smiles as he lightly bumps their shoulders. The brunette chuckles, who knew that somebody could be good at faking laughter? They swing arms as Keith rests his head on Lance's shoulder. He feels Lance stiff a little before relaxing. Keith smiles as his eyes finally trail down to their joined hands. His heart skips a beat.

Before he realizes it, they're standing in front of Keith's door. The two pause briefly before turning to each other. There are still eyes on them, but people have begun to get used to their relationship.  _ So quickly? _ Keith finds it odd. It's like they just accepted it.

"Keith."

Keith turns to Lance and nods in acknowledgment. Suddenly, there are hands in his hair. Keith stiffens at the touch and glares at Lance. He isn't paying attention at all. He's focused on running his hand through Keith's hair before leaning forward. A blush blossoms across Keith's face. What is Lance trying to do?

"Don't freak out," Lance whispers as their foreheads touch, "But Janet is staring right at us."

"Where?" Keith whispers back.

"Behind you." Keith turns his head to look but Lance immediately turns it back to face him, "Don't look."

"Why?"

"She'll know something's up," Lance replies.

"Then how do we get rid of her?" Keith asks.

"Oh  _ hey _ lovebirds," Janet's shrill voice sounds like she's mocking them. The two pull apart to face Janet. Immediately, Lance's hand grabs Keith's and holds it firmly. Her eyes trace down to their connected hands and she gives them a once over, searching for any hint of a falsehood. Keith isn't going to let her find anything. He stares her down as their eyes meet. Janet tilts her head, still not believing that they're dating. "Holding hands isn't going to fool me."

"You're right," Lance replies bluntly, "You're a fool either way."

Keith snorts, before covering his mouth in a bad attempt at hiding his laughter. Janet glares at Lance, before turning away.

"Whatever. I still don't believe you're dating," she huffs.

"No need. We knew what's real," Lance replies cooly. He's not wrong. They aren't dating of course.

"Oh, I bet you do."

Once Janet is gone, Keith turns to Lance with a smile, "Thanks," he says as he takes out his key.

"No problem," Lance replies, "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? How about we eat breakfast together? Say... maybe at 10?"

"Oh no, you don't--" Keith abruptly stops himself. Normally he would reject any invitation he gets to hang out with somebody but Lance is supposed to be his  _ boyfriend _ . And couples are supposed to hang out often right? Keith internally groans in frustration as he corrects himself, "Yeah, I'll see you at 10."

"Great!" Lance smiles. He looks so happy that if he didn't know the truth, he'd think that Lance is excited to be with his lover, "I'll see you tomorrow yeah?"

"Yeah."

Keith opens the door to his room and switches the light on before plopping himself onto his bed. He doesn't have a roommate so he has the room to himself. Keith closes his eyes and exhales.  _ What a wild day. _

He represses the thought that it's only going to get wilder.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited, sorry for all the mistakes.
> 
> If you like my fics, follow my [tumblr](https://starryrosez.tumblr.com) for more updates!
> 
> Thanks for reading, comments are always appreciated <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! <3

Keith's about ready to go out and meet Lance at the cafeteria when he suddenly hears a knock. Keith turns to the door in curiosity. Who would come to him this early in the day? He opens the door to reveal that the person who would do that is Lance. He's dressed in the school's uniform, having that they do have a simulation test right after breakfast.

"Hey, ready to go?"

Keith shakes his head in disbelief, "What are you doing--

"I figured I should go and pick you up before heading down to eat because we're dating," Lance rests his arm against the doorway and lifts an eyebrow, "Right?"

"Right," Keith replies, "Hold on." Keith grabs his key and shoves it into his pocket before heading out. He closes the door behind him, "Let's go."

Breakfast goes by quickly. Nobody paid any attention to the two of them as they sat together. Since they were alone and apart from everybody else, the two decided to take the opportunity to get to know each other. Lance talked about his family back in Cuba while Keith talked about his interests.

"I didn't know you liked classic rock," Lance admits.

"What did you think I listened to?" Keith asks.

"My chemical romance," Lance snickers, "I dunno, anything emo."

Keith rolls his eyes, "That music is trash."

"Aw man," Lance smiles, "You're absolutely right."

When it came time to go down for the simulation test, the two of them have forgotten something important: they're rivals at heart.

It started off normally. Lance went with his group to start getting ready while Keith went with his. Before parting the two of them wished each other luck, the friendly environment they created during breakfast still enveloping them. Keith still felt it lingering, making his stomach flip when he spotted Lance across the hallway, getting his equipment ready. The two had made eye contact before Lance eagerly waved. Keith hesitated for a moment before waving back, with much less enthusiasm.

"What's that blush for?" Matt, the communication operator of his team teased as Keith returned to the group, "Is it from  _ Lance _ ?"

Keith chuckles in reply, "You can say that."

The problem had started when their instructor paired two groups to be going into the simulation for a battle. As fate would have it, Keith and Lance's group were to battle. This was followed by the two completely forgetting that they're supposed to be in love and screaming vile insults as they battled. When Keith's team finally won, it was quickly followed by Lance's protests that created a bigger argument.

"Not fair! Keith is a year ahead! Of course he's gonna beat me!" Lance complains, "I demand a re-match with a handicap on him!"

"Maybe if you were more focused on the task in hand rather than showing off, you could've defeated me," Keith retorts. When Lance fails to respond, Keith adds, "It's funny how that works."

Lance bites his lip and shakes his head, motioning Keith to cut it off.

"What are you going on about now-- _ oh _ ."

Right, Keith has forgotten that they’re supposed to be in love, not furiously at each other’s _ throats _ . Keith stops and dares to look around the room. To his surprise nobody is even looking at them. They’re all too wrapped up in their own conversations to even take note of the two of them. Still, Keith straightens himself up and profusely apologizes to Lance.

In response, Lance laughs, “Thank god nobody was looking.”

“Yeah,” Keith smiles, “We’ll have to be more careful.”

“Right,” Lance says as he twines his fingers with Keith. He takes a step closer to Keith, their bodies almost pressing against each other as Lance leans into Keith. To any outsider, it will look like Lance is about to whisper something sappy to his lover, but Keith knows better. They aren’t even dating.

“From now on we can’t fight like this,” Lance whispers, “If we’re getting Janet off of your back, we need to be convincing. Lovers don’t fight like we do.”

Keith smiles, “Then how do they fight?”

Lance is slightly taken aback by the question. He ponders for a moment, wondering how exactly do lovers fight.

“They’re usually petty,” Lance says, “Like over stupid things that could be resolved easily. Like a sock on the floor.”

“Well our fights are pretty petty themselves,” Keith says. 

“Yeah? Well it’s a different kind of petty.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely positive,” Lance says, “But it can be that way of you want it too.” He adds with a wink. 

Keith rolls his eyes. 

“My my isn’t it the two lovebirds,” the two boys turn around to find Janet with her hands on her hips scrutinizing the two boys, “Or should I say, the ones pretending to be dating?”

Keith and Lance look at each other before collectively agreeing to take action. Keith steps aside allowing Lance to stand next to him as they face the girl. “Fuck off Janet,” Lance says taking Keith’s hand, “He’s mine.”

Janet squints sizing the two of them up and down, “I don’t believe any of this. Especially the fact that  _ you _ ,” Janet points her finger at Lance, “Are interested in a guy like Keith.”

The phrasing makes Keith shift uncomfortably. What did she mean by that? Why would she say such a thing?

“What do you mean?” Lance asks, “Of course I’m interested in Keith I’m holding his hand.”

To emphasize his statement, he raises his hand and shows her their joined hands. 

“Oh, but until recently you were only interested in me,” Janet says. 

Keith feels his heart drop. Lance was…?

He turns to Lance, “You liked Janet?” he asks in a quiet voice.

Lance turns to Keith, his mouth agape before turning back to Janet who is smugly staring at them. “I don’t like her in that way, not anymore. Especially after the stunt  _ you _ pulled on Keith yesterday,” he turns back to Janet, his blue eyes fierce with determination.

“Right, whatever,” Janet dismisses the boys, “You can pretend to be all lovey dovey and whatnot but I see right through the two of you.”

Keith gulps as Janet’s eyes meet his, “And when the two of you decide to stop playing this game with me, Keith is going to be mine.”

She walks away triumphantly her auburn hair swaying to the beat of her stride as she exits the training room. Once she’s out of sight Lance turns to Keith. 

“Are you alright?” he asks. 

Keith nods, “I’m fine. Thanks.” 

Lance gives Keith an incredulous look before averting his gaze away, “Okay well, I have to go back.”

He states it like its a matter of fact, his voice distant.

Keith can hear the coldness in his voice as he says, “Do what you want.”

“Okay,” Lance repeats, “I’ll meet you during lunch?”

“Sure.” 

Lance takes Keith’s hand, causing him to look up into Lance’s blue eyes. He smiles as he leans in closer to Keith. He knows it’s for show, but he steal panics as Lance’s lips press against Keith’s ear, smiling teasingly.

“It’s a date then,” he whispers.

Keith rolls his eyes, “Just go.”

Lance lingers for a moment before stepping away, raising his arms in surrender as he walks off to his group. Keith stares at Lance’s retreating figure before turning back to his own group. 

When he rejoins them, Matt is giving him a teasing stare.

“What?” Keith asks, giving Matt an incredulous glare. 

“You’re so cute around him,” Matt comments, pinching Keith;s cheek, “You two look so in love.”

Keith snorts and rolls his eyes, “If only you knew…”

_ That it’s all fake. That the only reason why Lance is around is because he feels bad for me.  _

He used to like Janet. He had legitimate feelings for the girl. Lance probably  _ still _ likes her. Not that Keith should care because really, he shouldn’t, but the revelation leaves a bad taste in his mouth. It bothers him and it makes Keith who already knows how faulty this plan is realize just how  _ easily  _ everything can fall apart. One false step and the truth is out. And with the stakes already so high, it doesn’t help that Janet, the person they need to convince is already skeptical. 

The rest of the morning goes by painfully slow. Classes are boring and Keith spends the time doodling in the margins of his notebook or staring outside the window studying the desert and the clear blue sky. Occasionally, he’ll glance over to Lance who is concentrated on the lesson, eyebrows pinched together as he tries to read the tiny handwriting on the board before slipping out his phone and quickly snapping a picture to write down the notes off of his phone. It’s a miracle that not a single teacher has caught him, he’s too blatant and obvious about being on his phone but perhaps the teachers simply don’t care. Despite Keith’s dumbfound amazement with Lance’s luck, he still can’t help himself but find it endearing. 

Whoa there, endearing? Since when he has found guys endearing? And more specifically, Lance? He spends the rest of the morning a flushing mess, trying to forget about the fact he finds a guy ‘endearing.’

When the last morning class ends, everybody races out of the room, hungry for food and a taste of some down time away from the notes and lesson plans and a chance to be with friends. Keith stays behind, taking his sweet time putting his things away and getting out. He’s the last person out of the room, and he politely nods to the teacher and wishes them a nice day before heading off to towards the direction of his room. He wants to drop off his things before eating, for he didn’t want to deal with moving around his binders and textbooks to make space for people during lunch. Perhaps he won’t even stay in the cafeteria, he’ll just grab food and head back to his room and maybe study for that big chemistry exam he has tomorrow. 

“Hey Keith! Where are you going?”

Well there goes his plans. Keith turns around to find Lance running over to him, his own belongings being held to his chest. 

“To my room…?” Keith answers giving Lance a questioning look. 

“Okay cool, you dropping off your stuff?” Lance asks. Keith nods, “I thought so. Mind if I leave my own stuff in your room?” 

“Sure,” Keith replies, “Though, why would you--

“Well, since we also share the first afternoon class together, I thought it would be nice to walk with you,” Lance smiles, “You know as your  _ boyfriend _ I would like to spend as much time with you as possible.”

“Oh,” Keith frowns and begins to walk again, “right.”

“Hey, hey,” Lance steps in front of Keith and blocks him, “You’re not thinking about this morning with Janet are you?”

Keith bites his lip and lowers his voice in case there are any eavesdroppers, “Listen, I know this is all pretend but I’m not comfortable knowing that you like Janet. It makes me feel used.”

Lance’s eyes widen and he shakes his head, “You got it all wrong, I don’t like her anymore. I wouldn’t be pretending to date you to get her off your back if I still did. Honest.” Lance smiles reassuringly, “Don’t feel used because it’s all in the past now. I don’t have my eyes on anybody right now. My priority is getting Janet to back off.”

Keith nods, “Okay, I’m sorry for thinking that...you know…”

“It’s okay, I understand. Let’s go and eat now okay? I’m starving!” Lance pats Keith’s back and starts to walk towards the direction of Keith’s room.

Keith shakes his head and begins to follow Lance, “Wait for me!” he shouts with a smile on his face. 

“Nah!” Lance giggles as he picks up his pace, “You just need to pick up the pace!”

Keith chuckles in response, “You’re a terrible boyfriend.” 

“Excuse me, I’m a great boyfriend!”

Keith stops and laughs as he says, “Well then walk me to my room like the good boyfriend you are.”

Lance dramatically sighs as he runs over to Keith and joins his side. He winks playfully. Keith shoves him. 

“Ass, this is what you wanted from the beginning.”

“Perhaps,” Lance responds, “Or perhaps,” he grabs Keith’s hand and intertwines them, “I just really like being by your side.”

Keith’s heart skips a beat and his face begins to redden in response. He knows Lance is just doing it for show, so that any wandering eyes can see how “in love” they are. That’s it all pretend. Keith pushes those thoughts away as he smiles back. 

“Well then why didn’t you say so?” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited so sorry for all the mistakes!  
> If you like my fics follow my [tumblr](https://starryrosez.tumblr.com) for updates^^  
> Thanks for reading, comments are always appreciated! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand new update! Please enjoy! <3

When Shiro called him down to his office, Keith didn’t know what to expect. Okay, he’s always known that he’s a bit of a troublemaker. He did beat up a kid on his first day of school (James deserved it though for insulting his family) but he swears he’s been on his best behavior recently. Outside of the petty arguments, he’s had with Lance, and the whole drama behind him and Janet, he’s been a model student. He’s even getting good grades! There couldn’t possibly be anything he’s done wrong right?

Keith timidly steps into Shiro’s office and finds himself surprised to see not only Shiro sitting behind his desk but Adam sitting on the desk chatting amiably with him. Shiro is a big mentor for Keith, he vouched for him back when he was still at the home and allowed him to grow into the person he is today. And Adam, well he’s close to Shiro, being his fiance and everything. 

“Hey, kiddo!” Adam greets as he kicks the chair, “Why don’t you take a seat?”

“Okay,” Keith says as he cautiously approaches them. They seem  _ way _ too happy which is only making Keith more nervous than he already was, “You called me down?”

Shiro nods, “Yeah, and I think you know why.”

“D-do I?” Keith asks.

Shiro nods, “Yeah do you have anything you’d like to tell me?”

“And me,” Adam adds. 

“Uhh…” Keith wracks his brain as he tries to remember. What has he done this week that could result in this scolding? “Nothing…?”

“Really?” Shiro raises an eyebrow leaning forward and resting his face on his hand, “Nothing? So you got nothing to tell us?”

Keith nods, “I don’t know what I’ve done this week, please just tell me and let’s get this over with.”

In all honesty, he wants to get this over with so he can return to the library and continue his studying session with Lance.

“So, nobody you’re seeing?” Shiro asks.

Keith’s eyes widen, “What?”

“No? I could’ve sworn I overheard a group of girls talking about you the other day. Something about dating…?”

“We just want to know: are you dating Lance or not?” Adam cuts in. 

“Wait, so I’m not in trouble?” Keith says in disbelief. 

“Of course not, we’re just being nosey,” Shiro smiles, “And we also want to know why you didn’t tell us.”

“Yeah, he’s your first ever boyfriend and as your unofficial father figures we want to know all the juicy details.”

Keith’s heart sinks. How foolish of him, did he really think Shiro and the other teachers wouldn’t know? People are chatty and loud and he overhears things all the time. If he does it, then Shiro and Adam certainly do as well. 

“I’m kind of surprised,” Shiro says, “At the beginning of the year you used to get sent here a lot because the two of you caused a lot of disruption in class with your petty rivalry. Now you’re dating him. You’re kind of an odd pair,” Shiro chuckles to himself before glancing down to his ring. 

“You two remind us of well, us,” Adam chuckles giving his fiance a loving look, “We were kind of like the two of you--

“Our point is,” Shiro places a hand on Keith’s. He usually does this when he’s scorning Keith and reminding him how much talent he has. This time, however, it’s different, this gesture instead of a pitiful scorning, he’s smiling, “we’re happy for you.” 

Keith’s guilt begins to gnaw inside of him. He feels bad. They’re genuinely happy for him and his newfound relationship and it’s all fake. How can he tell them the truth now? They’ll only be disappointed.

“I--”

“Aww, you broke him,” Adam frowns before turning back to Keith, “What’s wrong? Are you embarrassed?” He teases lightly slapping Keith’s shoulder.

“No,” Keith bites his lip, “I’m not embarrassed.”

“Well then--

“Shiro, Adam, we’re not… actually together,” Keith clenches his fists as he confesses looking away from them.

The room is silent, the weight of Keith’s words sinking. Keith doesn’t dare to look at either of them and their disappointed faces. 

“What do you mean?” Adam laughs, “I heard those girls, and there’s only one Lance and Keith in this school--

“It’s fake!” Keith raises his voice, “It’s not real… he doesn’t have feelings for me in  _ that _ way. We’re only ‘together’ to get a girl off of my back.”

This time Shiro speaks, “I see. So there’s nothing between the two of you.”

Keith nods, “In public? Yes. In private? We stand on opposite sides of the room.”

“So you don’t even,” Shiro leans forward and lowers his voice, “Like Lance?”

Keith’s face heats up, “Of course not! He’s an annoying serial flirt! He’ll flirt with any living object that has breasts!” He then frowns picking his fingernails as he admits in a softer, more vulnerable voice, “Besides, he’s into girls. Before this week he’s been crushing on Janet…”

Shiro and Adam share a knowing look before turning back to Keith. 

“Are you sure about this?” Adam asks, “There are other ways to get a girl to stop asking you out you know.”

“And we don’t want you to get hurt, or for you to hurt Lance’s feelings.”

“It’s fine, we have everything planned out. We made some rules and until Janet backs off we can pull it off. We have everybody convinced, don’t we? Besides, it’s not like I’m into Lance.” Keith reassures them. 

The two of them share another knowing glance. Is this something people in love do something or are the two of them some weird exception? Cause the gesture pisses Keith off. 

“I should head back. Lance and I are studying for a test tomorrow.” Keith stands up.

“Okay, Keith, we trust you can take care of yourself,” Shiro says, “Just don’t hurt yourself, okay? Don’t do anything out of your comfort zone just because you need to prove to somebody you’re taken.”

Keith nods as he begins to walk out of the office, “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

“Oh, one last thing kiddo,” Adam adds making Keith pause, “If you catch feelings, immediately end it okay? You’re going to end up regretting if you do.”

Keith rolls his eyes. He won’t catch feelings for somebody like Lance. Everything is purely business. Once it’s all over everything will return back to normal. It’ll be like that they’ve never been together. 

“Whatever,” Keith replies as he slams the door. Adults are too worrisome sometimes.

Even so, Keith’s heart sinks a bit at the thought of never being close to Lance again. 

 

* * *

 

When Keith returns to the library, he finds Lance where he had left him, at a cute table towards the back of the library. Since he’s been gone, more people have arrived so now they weren’t as alone as before.

When Keith takes the seat next to Lance, Lance takes Keith’s hand and kisses his cheek. 

“Welcome back babe,” Lance greets flirtatiously. 

Keith’s brain short-circuits at the gesture, attempting to process it. Did...Lance just kiss his cheek? The part where his lips touched his skin is still burning when Keith robotically turns away from Lance and takes out his notebook.  _ What the fuck just happened _ .

Despite Keith’s rigidness, Lance doesn’t explain himself. Instead, he scoots his chair closer to Keith and leans over his shoulder. Keith freezes again, intoxicated by the sudden overwhelming feeling of Lance being so close to him. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Keith whispers. 

“Shh, relax baby, we’re dating right?” Lance giggles as he playfully boops Keith’s nose. He then proceeds to say in a hushed voice, “Pipe down, we’re in public.”

“I know,” Keith replies pushing Lance away, “But what the fuck is this? This is just out of character, it’s making me uncomfortable Lance.”

“C’mon, lovers do it all the time.”

“What, be obnoxiously gross in public?” Keith growls, “No thank you, I’d rather be single.”

“Keith,” Lance warns, “Do you want Janet off your back or not?”

Keith bites his lip, “Yes.”

“Then play along.”

Lance goes to hug Keith but he stops him, pushing them as far apart as possible. 

“I don’t need to play along, Lance,” Keith hisses as he turns to work on his notebook, “Things need to be natural, and if we’re going to be grossly on top of each other, nobody is going to believe it.” 

Lance narrows his eyes, “Are you sure it’s not because you have major issues with getting close to people?”

Keith slams his pencil on the table and gives Lance a cold glare, “I what?”

Realizing what he had just blurted out, Lance’s face reddens and he raises his hands trying to placate Keith, “I-I meant, you shouldn’t let your fears of contact get in the way of your relationships with people--

“Or how about you learn to respect people’s space?” Keith shoots back, “I thought we had already had made our agreement what we’ll do in public, and this was certainly not apart of it.”

“Well, I don’t remember it being  _ not _ apart of the agreement.”    
  
“Lance, it’s not funny, I let you hold my hand, I put my head on your shoulder and hell, I’ll let you hug me, but under no circumstances can you get all cuddly and I’ll stab you with this pencil if you ever _ dare _ to kiss me on the cheek again.”

The two glare at each other, not wanting to lose this staring contest to the other. Lance is stubborn, but Keith is twice as bad. They may be pretending to be in a relationship, but Lance needs to learn some boundaries. Even in public, Keith likes his space. 

Lance looks away and sighs, “Okay, I’m sorry, I won’t ever do it again.”

Keith smiles triumphantly, “If you’re so desperate to show me off, just ask me before doing something okay?” 

“Then,” Lance’s hand takes Keith, “Let me make it up to you for my actions. Show you how great of a fake boyfriend I can be.”

“Oh yeah? And how can you prove yourself?”

“Tomorrow at sundown, meet me on the rooftop.” Lance says, “I promise, it’ll be worthwhile.”

Keith smiles, “Okay, it’s a date then. Now, let’s get back to studying, okay? Just because I have a pseudo-boyfriend now, doesn’t mean I’m going to let my grades slip cause I’m spending a lot of time with him, and I’m not going to beat an unworthy opponent.”

Lance opens his notebook, “Aww, you think I’m a worthy rival?”

“Not a chance.” Keith teases. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited, so sorry for all the mistakes!  
> Follow my [tumblr](https://starryrosez.tumblr.com) and scream with over she ra, please. I'm writing a glimadora fic and a catradora fic sometime before the end of the year.
> 
> Thanks for reading, comments are always appreciated! <3


End file.
